Dust bag holder for suction cleaners



Oct. 5, 1965 B. E. NILSSON DUST BAG HOLDER FOR SUCTION CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March 22,. 1960 I NVENTOR.

fi/m BY A TTORNEY Oct. 5, 1965 B. E. NILSSON DUST BAG HOLDER FOR SUCTION CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 22, 1960 FIG. 4

a 0 a 5 K W W H m m M NI a W. 3 g z m g g U INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,209 522 DUST BAG HOLDER F012 SUCTION CLEANERS Bengt Erik Nilsson, Hagersten, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Electrolux, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Original application Mar. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 16,834, now Patent No. 3,150,403, dated Sept, 29, 1964. Divided and this application Feb. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 175,248 Claims priority, application Sweden, Mar. 24, 1959, 2,827/59 1 Claim. (Cl. 55-373) This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 16,834, filed March 22, 1960, for Suction Cleaner, now Patent No. 3,150,403, granted September 29, 1964.

This invention relates generally to suction cleaners, and is particularly directed to improvements in suction or vacuum cleaners which include a housing having a suction opening at one end and a discharge opening at the opposite end, a motor-fan unit in the housing operative to produce a flow of air from the inlet opening through the housing to the discharge opening, and a porous dust collector bag in the housing for removing dust from the air flow.

An object of the invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner of the described character having a disposable dust collector bag and a resilient bag holder cooperating with the removable cover of the housing to secure the open mouth of the dust collector bag, the bag holder being designed with the same configuration at its opposite sides so as to properly perform its function when either side thereof faces towards the front cover. The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent in the following detailed description of a vacuum cleaner embodying the present invention which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the vacuum cleaner embodying the present invention, but with the housing thereof being partly broken away and shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a front end elevational view, with the front cover of the housing being partly broken away;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a bag holder included in the vacuum cleaner embodying the invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view in a vertical plane of the front portion of the vacuum cleaner embodying the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner as viewed from a location in front and below the same.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that a vacuum cleaner embodying the present invention, and there generally identified by the reference numeral 10, includes a housing 11 formed by an elongated casing or shell 12 provided with a handle 119, a removable front cover 13 and a removable rear cover 14. In the normal position ofnse of the vacuum cleaner 10, the housing 11 is disposed with the axis of its tubular casing or shell 12 extending substantially horizontally, as in FIGS. 1 and 5. A perforated transverse partition wall 15, extending across the tubular casing 12 intermediate the opposite ends of the latter, divides the interior of the housing into a front compartment 16, which is intended to receive a cloth filter bag 17 and a disposable dust collector bag 18 of porous paper, and a rear compartment 19 which accommodates a motor-fan unit assembly generally identified by the reference numeral 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the motor-fan unit assembly 20 includes a fan or blower contained in a sheet metal housing 21 having an air inlet opening at the front thereof, an electric motor 22 suitably secured to the back end of the fan housing 21 for driving the fan or blower, with the air exhausted by the latter passing through, and cooling the motor and then being discharged at an air outlet (not shown) provided in the rear end cover 14.

The forward end edge of the casing or shell 12 is suitably secured to a reinforcing ring 64 which is formed with a peripheral seat 65 for the removable front cover 13 and also with a forwardly facing shoulder 66 which is disposed inward with respect to the seat 65. As is apparent in FIG. 4, the open mouth of the cloth filter bag 17 is suitably secured to a metal mouth ring 67 which has a peripheral rubber sealing ring 68 adapted to be clamped between the front cover 13 and the shoulder 66 of the reinforcing ring 64. The mouth ring 67 of the cloth filter bag is shaped to define a forwardly facing shoulder 69 which is disposed radially inward with respect to the sealing ring 68 and forms a seat for the outer periphery of a reversible bag holder generally identified by the reference numeral 70.

As is apparent in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bag holder 70 includes concentric circular inner and outer rims 71 and 72 connected by spaced apart radial spokes 73 to define openings 74 therebetween. The bag holder 70 is preferably formed of a plastic which is slightly resilient and is symmetrical about a medial plane which passes through the spokes 73 perpendicular to the axis of the concentric circular rims 71 and 72. The inner rim 71 has identical, axially opening annular grooves 75 and 76 in its opposite side faces (FIG. 4). The removable front cover 13 has a centrally located inlet opening 77 which is adapted for connection to a suction hose (not shown) and is generally in the form of an open ended tube with a rearwardly directed circular rib 78 extending around its back end and adapted to engage in either the groove 76, as shown in FIG. 4, or in the groove 75 of the bag holder 70.

The porous paper dust collector bag 18 is installed within the cloth filter bag 17 with its mouth portion extending forward through the opening of the inner rim 71 of bag holder 70 and then radially outward across the side of the rim 71 facing in the forward direction. When the front cover 13 is installed on the reinforcing ring 64 of the shell or casing 12 and locked in position, the outer rim 72 of bag holder 70 is held against the shoulder 69 of the mouth ring 67 of the cloth filter bag and the rib 78 of front cover 13 urges the rim 71 of the resilient bag holder 70 in the rearward direction, and thereby tightly clamps the mouth portion of the paper bag 18 between the rib 78 and the groove 76 or 75, whichever is then facing in the direction toward the front cover. By reason of the symmetrical formation of the bag holder 70, the latter will perform its necessary function of clamping the mouth portion of the paper bag 18 whether the bag holder is installed with the groove 75 or the groove 76 facing toward the removable front cover.

The front cover 13 is removably secured to the front end of the casing or shell 12 by releasable locking devices which are disposed at the opposite sides of the front end portion of the housing 11 and are generally identified by the reference numerals 79 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5).

In view of the foregoing, it will now be understood that the reversible bag holding member 70 is independent of and separable from the front cover 13 and the paper bag 18 and comprises an inner section 71 of annular form defining the central opening and an outer section 72 of annular form which is of larger cross-sectional area than the inner section 71. The spokes 73 form web means projecting radially outward from the inner section 71 to the outer section 72 and joined to the inner and outer sections, respectively.

The inner and outer sections 71 and 72 and web means 73 therebetween define the member 70 having first and second faces at Opposing sides thereof. The inner section 71 has first and second portions 76 and 75 which are substantially in axial alignment and axially project in opposite directions from the first and second faces of the member 70, respectively.

The member 70 extends across the open end of the casing 12 with one of the axially projecting portions 75 and '76 of the inner section 71 facing the inner surface of the cover 13. The bag 18 has an open end part which extends through the central opening in the member 70 toward the inner surface of the cover 13. The part of the bag emerging from the central opening in the member 7 overlies the one of the first and second axially extending projections 76 and 75 of the inner section 71 of the member 70 which faces the inner surface of the cover 13.

The inner surface of the cover 13 has a portion 78 of annular form which is disposed about the opening 77 in the cover and projects axially inward from the cover. The means 79 clamps the outer section 72 of the member 70 between the cover 13 and the outer end of the casing 12. The portion 78 at the inner surface of the cover 13 and the one of the first and second axially projecting parts 76 and 75 of the inner section 71 are of substantially the same cross-sectional area and in axial alignment with one another when the cover 13 closes the open end of the casing 12. The clamping means 79 functions to hold the inner axially extending portion 78 of the cover 13 and the one of the first and second axially projecting portions 76 and 75 of the inner section 71 of the member 70 against one another with the open end part of the bag 18 therebetween to hold the latter in air-tight sealing relation with the inside of the cover 13 about the region of the opening 77 therein.

The outer extremities of the first and second axially extending portions 76 and 75 of the inner section 71 of of the member 70 define first and second axially spaced grooves of annular form, respectively, which are in alignment with one another and have the same cross-sectional area. The portion 78 of the cover 73 extends axially inward therefrom and defines a rib of annular form which coacts with and seats in the groove of the one of the first and second axially projecting portions 76 and 75 of the inner section 71 facing the inner surface of the cover 13. With this construction an S-shaped bend is produced in that region of the open end part of the bag 18 held between the groove of the one of the first and second axially projecting portions 76 and 75 facing the cover 13 and the rib 78 formed at the inner surface of the cover 13. Also, the spokes 73 of the member 70 form resilient web means which enables the inner and outer sections 71 and 72 of the member 70 to move axially with respect to one another. This promotes resiliency of the member 70 and permits the rib 78 at the inside of the cover 13 to urge the inner section 71 of the member 70 into the interior of the casing 12 from the open end thereof.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that the invention is not limited to that precise embodiment, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, except as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a suction cleaner, a casing having an open end,

a dust bag which is insertable into said casing at the open end thereof and permeable to air and of the throw-away type, a removable cover for closing the open end of said casing, said cover having an opening through which dustladen air passes into said bag, the inner surface of said cover having a region about the opening therein, a holder for the dust bag which comprises an inner section of annular form defining a central opening and an outer section of annular form which is of larger cross-sectional area than the inner section, web means projecting radially outward from said inner section to said outer section and joined to said inner and outer sections, respectively, said inner and outer sections and web means therebetween defining a member having first and second faces at 0pposing sides thereof, said inner section having first and second portions which are substantially in axial alignment and axially project in opposite directions from said first and second faces of said member, respectively, said member extending across the open end of said casing with one of said first and second axially projecting portions of said inner section facing the inner surface of said cover, said bag having an open end part which extends through the central opening in said member toward the inner surface of said cover, the open end part of said bag emerging from the central opening in said member overlying said one of said first and second axially projecting portions of said inner section of said member facing the inner surface of said cover, the inner surface of said cover having a portion of annular form which is disposed about the opening in said cover and projects axially inward from said cover, and means for clamping the outer section of said member between said cover and the outer end of said casing, said portion at the inner surface of said cover and said one of said first and second axially projecting portions of said inner section being of substantially the same cross-sectional area and in axial alignment with one another when said cover closes the open end of said casing, said last-mentioned clamping means functioning to hold said inner axially extending portion of said cover and said one of first and second axially projecting portions of said inner section against one another with the open end part of said bag therebetween to hold the latter in air-tight sealing relation with the inside of the cover about the region of the opening therein, the outer extremities of said first and second axially projecting portions of said inner section of said member defining first and second axially spaced grooves of annular form, respectively, which are substantially in axial alignment with one another and have the same cross-sectional area, and said portion of said cover which extends axially inward therefrom defining a rib of annular form which coacts with and seats in said groove of said one of said first and second axially projecting portions of said inner section facing the inner surface of said cover, whereby an S-shaped bend is produced in that region of the open end part of said bag held therebetween.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,237,499 4/41 Osterdahl 55-376 2,582,219 1/52 Ardito et al. 55-502 X 2,591,382 4/52 Smith 55-373 2,696,894 12/54 Forsberg 55-373 HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner. 

